TORONTO — How many times can the Toronto Raptors hand a categorically bad team a sizable first-half lead, allowing the opposition to get essentially anything it wants offensively for most of the night, before eventually deciding to play to their ability, and overcoming the deficit in the final dozen minutes to secure another victory in what will ultimately be a franchise-best season?
These Raptors, they’re determined to find out. Friday brought yet another game that looked fine if you only saw the final result — a 116-112 Raptors victory over the Brooklyn Nets — and anything but fine if you saw the process. It’s become a habit. It happened Tuesday in Orlando, a week ago versus Dallas, and the Tuesday before that while in Brooklyn playing these very Nets.
And the list continues. Time and again, the Raptors coast against a team far beneath them in the standings, putzing around for three quarters before coming alive in the end and pulling out the win. It’s the result you want. But considering the talent on this team, life could be so much easier.
“For us to come out and play like we did, it’s terrible,” said DeMar DeRozan. “I feel like we’ve been going into games and turning on and off when we want. We’re playing for something bigger. No disrespect to [Brooklyn] at all, but we’ve got a bigger goal in mind. And we’ve got to go out [against] teams like that and play hard out of the gate. And not be in a dog fight coming down to the last couple possessions.”
What does it all mean? Hard to say. The wins have been there in the end, as the Raptors are now 33-2 against sub-.500 teams, and have never lost to one at home. And when Toronto has come up against better opposition, much more thorough efforts have been made. There’s no reason to believe that won’t continue.
But it’s at least worth monitoring, particularly as each of Toronto’s next six games are against teams with records above .500. And in three weeks’ time, the playoffs begin. The opportunities to smooth things out are fleeting.
So, there’s one takeaway from this Raptors victory that didn’t feel a whole lot like one. And here are some others.
Focus vs. effort
Defence has been a front-burner concern for head coach Dwane Casey and his Raptors of late, after the team gave up 132 points in regulation to two of its last three opponents. It’s important to remember that those two teams — Oklahoma City and Cleveland — are extremely good at scoring the basketball and each among the NBA’s top-10 in terms of offensive efficiency. The Brooklyn Nets, however, are not that at all.
The Brooklyn Nets are 22nd in offensive efficiency, and average a little more than 106 points per game. So, safe to say Casey didn’t get the start he was looking for Friday, as the Nets scored 32 in the first quarter on 59 per cent shooting, including 5-of-8 from distance.
And the second quarter wasn’t any better, as the Nets put up another 32 points and finished the half shooting 57 per cent. Casey said his team’s defensive effort was fine, but focus was lacking.
“We were not sharp whatsoever. We didn’t deserve to win that game,” Casey said. “That’s not playoff basketball. That’s not winning basketball whatsoever. So many mental mistakes. It’s like we’re in a fog. If we’re serious about winning, we’ll get some focus in. With everybody. One through 15.”
A message sent
As he watched his team begin the second half the same way it ended the first, allowing the Nets to open on a 14-8 run, Casey wasn’t having it. Just four minutes in, he yanked DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, OG Anunoby, and Jonas Valanciunas off the floor (Kyle Lowry, who had a tremendous night, got to keep playing) and replaced them with their back-ups.
“I don’t want to embarrass players like that,” Casey said. “But I owe it to our organization, I owe it to our fans, to make sure that we get guys out there that are going to compete. Whoever was out there just wasn’t in sync. I had to get five guys out there to compete, to fight, and to have their give-a-crap level a bit higher.”
The move wasn’t an overwhelming success, as Toronto still lost the quarter and went into the fourth down seven. But a strong message was sent.
“It was on ourselves. They were scoring on us, they were making everything look easy,” DeRozan said. “It’s just a matter of how we respond. And when we got back in there, we responded well. But it should never get to that point.”
It shouldn’t. And it doesn’t often at this level of basketball, which is why you rarely see a coach make a dramatic statement like Casey did. But after his halftime instruction — which you can be sure was both critical and direct — was apparently not taken to heart, Casey had to feel like it was his only option.
“Our guys are experienced enough,” he said. “They understand that tonight’s performance and focus wasn’t acceptable. It won’t win. It won’t win in this league.”
One positive thing
Look, it wasn’t all bad. The Raptors shot very well (48 per cent from the field, and 14-of-29 from three) which was needed, particularly on a night they were without CJ Miles.
Miles’ shooting has been sorely missed — particularly late in Wednesday’s defeat against Cleveland — as he’s sat out a pair of games with gastroenteritis, an illness that is about as pleasant to experience as it sounds. In his absence, other players have had to step up.
Friday, it was primarily Lowry and Fred VanVleet, who combined to shoot 9-of-13 from distance. But don’t forget about Pascal Siakam, who hit a pair of corner threes.
Freddy Norm pic.twitter.com/HsI026O6Oz
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 24, 2018
Siakam’s been trying to make the corner three a part of his game all season, with spotty results. Here’s how he was faring from distance coming into Friday’s game:
Clearly a work in progress, but he appears to be getting better. Since the beginning of February, Siakam’s 9-of-17 from the corners, including the pair he hit Friday.
Is he going to continue converting those shots more than half the time? Seems unlikely. But the fact he’s having this success is a very promising sign from a player who attempted only seven three-pointers last season. Particularly if the Raptors find themselves down a shooter come the playoffs.
Okay, one more positive thing
It’s cool if you forgot about this because it was literally the first play of the game, but Anunoby got his night off to a solid start, forcing a turnover and finishing a give-and-go alley-oop with Lowry just 10 seconds in.
It’s was an encouraging passage from the rookie, who’s been struggling of late after missing a half-dozen games due to injury earlier this month. Anunoby was aggressive and decisive, two things his coaching staff is hoping to see more of from him over the rest of the regular season.
“He’s lost his rhythm, his timing a little bit,” Casey said before Friday’s game. “He’s struggling a little bit, but it’s no different than any other rookie in the league in certain situations.”
Casey sat down with Anunoby for a film session Friday afternoon, highlighting some plays in which the Raptors coach felt the rookie was taking unnecessary gambles, particularly on defence.
Casey also showed Anunoby offensive opportunities he was leaving on the floor. Casey dialed up video of three instances in Tuesday’s game against Orlando, and another in Wednesday’s versus Cleveland, when Anunoby passed up shots his coaches would rather he have taken.
“He was pump-faking himself out of a shot,” Casey said. “You’re pump-faking and there’s no one to pump fake. Just don’t over-think it. Don’t think yourself out of a play. Just let it come. Just relax and play.”
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